Pre-paid mobile cards 'a terrorist threat'

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Singapore will impose new laws to control the sale of pre-paid
mobile phone cards as part of anti-terrorist measures because they
can be used to set off bombs, the government says.

The new regulations were likely to be implemented in early
November, Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng said.

He said terrorist groups such as the Jemaah Islamiyah, the
alleged Southeast Asian wing of Al Qaeda, had exploited the
anonymity provided by pre-paid phone cards, which can be purchased
and discarded easily compared to post-paid accounts billed
monthly.

"The exploitation of the anonymity given by pre-paid cards to
avoid detection is not new," Wong said in a speech to mark the
opening of the civil defence forces' new headquarters.

"In the region, we have seen elements of the Jemaah Islamiyah
using pre-paid cards extensively to avoid detection and sometimes
to rig improvised explosive devices," he said.

Wong said his ministry was working with the telecommunications
industry regulator and mobile phone service providers to work out a
practical regulatory regime, with the details to be announced in
October.

Evidence that mobile phones have been used to remotely trigger
explosives has been uncovered in major terrorist attacks worldwide,
including last year's Madrid train blasts.

Singapore regularly warns that it remains a prime target for
militant groups because of its close association with the US and
its tough stance against Islamic radicals.

French anti-terrorist expert Jean-Louis Bruguiere said recently
that financial capitals such as Tokyo, Singapore and Sydney could
be attacked by Al Qaeda to undermine investor confidence in the
region.

Singapore officials said they were taking the warning seriously
even though Singapore was not specifically mentioned.

More than 30 Muslim Singaporeans suspected of belonging to
Jemaah Islamiyah are being held under the Internal Security Act,
which allows detention without trial for up to two years.